Walter Webb had many interesting and important points in his book. In it he tries to give as good of a history and explanation of the Great Plains as was possible in his time. He starts out describing the physical aspects of the land, including its climate, along with its natural plant and animal life. Once he described the region he went through an explanation of the people who came to live there or even explore part of it. He wrote about the Plains Indians, the Spanish, and the Americans and explained how they reacted and/or lived on the Plains. I thought it was fairly obvious that Webb didn't think much of the Indians, because he only mentioned the warlike tribes as savages with no respect for their enemies, or weaker tribes seemed to him like they were only fit to serve other people. Once the Americans moved into control and gained more control of the area, the Indians fell out of the picture. The story of the six-shooter was interesting in how it helped settlers be better equipped for fighting on horseback. Throughout the rest of the book Webb talks about the Cattle Kingdom, the spread of railroads, and the use of barbed wire fence due to the lack of wood for rail fences. He also talks about the development of laws in the West, and also about the literature of the area. The last chapter deals with several questions about the Plains and what affect they have on human life. I think that overall Webb did a decent job writing this history from the information he had and the views of the people during the time he was writing. There are some things that may not be accurate, such as the Indians being savages, but it does a good job trying to explain the general history of the Great Plains.
posted by Chris Votava #
23:57